May 02, 2012

I love the thick wool felt that's increasingly popular, but man. Wool felt in the 3mm to 5mm range is really expensive ($130/yard or so). The boxes, bowls, and vessels made with it are very cool, though. So when I was poking around my local craft store, I found a poor girl's substitute: Eazy Felt. You know it's cheap when "easy" is spelled with a Z instead of an S on the product label. It's regular craft felt that's been stiffened into sturdy sheets, and cost me $1.78 per 12"x18" sheet.

To make felt boxes, I cut a 9" square for the bottom piece, then added four slits and four diagonal cuts to trim away some of the excess felt on the tabs. See my pattern here. (This diagram is not to size; use it as a reference to see where to mark points on your felt.)

I used a rotary cutter and ruler to cut out the main shape, then made the slits and diagonal cuts with an X-acto knife. The stiffened felt cuts quite eazily. I didn't trace a pattern onto the felt; just measured with a ruler, marked the points, and sliced.

The box top is similar, except the center area is larger to fit over the box bottom, and the sides are half the height. See the template here.

After the pieces are cut, crease the tabs against the edge of a ruler to make assembly easier.

Fold the triangular tabs inward and bring the sides of the box up. (To allow for the thickness of the felt, you may need to trim an eighth inch off the edge of the triangle tabs so they don't poke out past the sides of the box.) Then secure the flaps with a hot glue gun. Do the same for the box lid. All done!

Amanda, maybe try this or this for stiffeners. Or spray starch. Or try mixing Elmer's glue and water, brushing your felt with the mixture on both sides, and then letting it dry. I've heard of people doing that.

Filed in my Christmas present bookmark folder, so if I don't get around to trying this soon, it will give me a reminder later in the year to try some boxes (yes with cheap felt!) to package cat treats in for presents this year!

Thanks for the great post! Those are beautiful.You can get thick felt for cheap from felting thrift store wool sweaters. I've made some small bags from this material that came out pretty well. The knitted fabric doesn't make for quite as smooth of a felt though.

I've been reading your blog for aaaaaaages and I wondered whether you had any time to take a peek at my website. I'd really value any feedback you have. I'm kind of new to this blogging/shop thing, and am looking for all the guidance I can muster!

Thanks for your great posts - it's so great to have crafters who are willing to share their ideas, and you always do it so well!

After gluing, I shaped them a little with my hands to re-bend a crease into the corners. But the boxes are still a little bit bulgy and fat, so I wouldn't call it a perfectly crisp crease. I kinda like how they're chubby. :)

Aww the cuteness! I love them! I sometimes make my own felt by buying woolen jumpers from the op-shop and putting them in the washing machine on hot cycle...it can be hard to find the right kind of jumper though because it has to be 100% pure animal wool! Thank you for sharing this adorable idea!www.tinselandteacups.com

I have printed out the template at least a dozen times in a dozen different sizes ... and every time I try to do it in felt (then I moved to paper because my experiments were getting expensive) the top is Waaay bigger than the bottom.Any suggestions on how to make them fit as well as the ones in the photo?? Love the idea, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Hi Marie, so sorry; I should have clarified that the pattern is just a visual to show where to measure and mark the points on the felt before cutting and folding. (Rather than printing it out and pinning it to the felt like a sewing pattern). I just measured with a ruler and marked the points on the felt with a tiny pen dot, then cut. Or if you have a cutting mat with a grid on it, you might not even need to mark the felt.

Jessica -- That TOTALLY helps! LOL! Oh my goodness. I should have read the instructions better, but I was in such a rush to make them! They are absolutely adorable and I can't wait to try again!Thanks for the help!!! Love your blog!!

I love these boxes, I love boxes. I've always made them using paper but, the felt is gorgeous. I use felt a lot (the cheap stuff) and in some cases I need stiff felt. What I do is either bond two felt sheets together with Wonder Under, Stitch Witchery or Heat N Bond. Another way to stiffen is to bond cotton fabric on one side, use that side for inside the box.

Cute boxes!! I must share my E.Z. method for felting 2nd-hand store sweaters. In the meantime, y'all, keep eye out for sweaters made with 70%+ wool. These boxes can be made for pennies! Will work on that felt tutorial...

I just made these - I made them in chocolate, grey and grass green and added vintage buttons to the top. they are so cute and will be great Christmas boxes. Thank you for the inspiration and the template!! (I was able to find the exact felt at AC Moore)